Crowds packed the stands of the Fairfax County government center Monday to witness the Board of Supervisors backing the resurrection of the proposed Tysons tunnel.
The board unanimously passed a resolution calling on the federal government to allow consideration of a plan to carry four miles of the metrorail extension underneath Tysons Corner. Current plans call for an elevated track over Tysons, part of the 23-mile project slated to split from past the East Falls Church station and run beyond Dulles Airport.
The vote represents a concrete political success for TysonsTunnel.org, a group pushing the governor to reverse his decision in September to kill the tunnel proposal. The movement, however, remains a distinct long shot without the backing of Northern Virginia’s congressional delegation, the Federal Transit Administration or the governor’s office.
Gov. Tim Kaine abandoned the tunnel concept after FTA officials warned it would jeopardize $900 million in federal funds committed to the rail project.
But tunnel supporters still argue the concept is crucial to molding the future of Tysons as Fairfax County’s dense, pedestrian-oriented urban center. Tysons is now the county’s commercial hub, and the closest thing to its downtown.
“If Tysons catches a chill, the rest of the county gets a cold,” said Supervisor Dana Kauffman, who represents the Lee District.
The motion drew applause from the crowds massed before the board, many of whom wore shirts bearing the group’s slogan, “It’s not over till it’s under.”
But serious financial concerns remain, and officials are hesitant to be tagged as risking rail to Dulles. Monday’s motion was carefully worded to call on the FTA to continue its financial commitment “irrespective of the final selection of the aerial or tunnel alternative.”
Despite the local support, Tysonstunnel.org still does not have the ear of policy-makers who have the power to act on reversing the tunnel decision. And they are showing no signs of changing course.
